“I’m called the father of the modern graphic novel. If that’s true, I want a blood test,” the Economist reports that he said. “ 'Graphic novel’ sounds more respectable, but I prefer ‘comics’ because it credits the medium. [‘Comics’] is a dumb word, but that’s what they are.”

The Swedish-born author of "Maus" also discussed some of his more controversial images and, according to the Economist, expressed his "undying love for comic art" and "for the ways in which it allows an artist to communicate directly, no matter how bizarre the message."